Wednesday 17th February 2021 - An Unpleasant Period and Several Degrees

We’re just back from a walk on the beach, our first since the snow cleared on Monday. What a relief it was when the thaw started on Sunday afternoon, continuing through Monday until there are now just the few odd patches of snow in the village where it has drifted. What has been an unpleasant period, since Storm Darcy hit us, is now hopefully over and we can once again look forward to spring. Everyone we've met have had their spirits lifted now that life can return to normal, well as normal as it can be in lockdown. We can all once again take a walk without being fearful of slipping and ending up flat on our backs.

I’ll return now to this afternoon’s walk. The beach has been badly scoured by the easterlies, revealing chunks of concrete, dislodged during the December 2013 storm surge, along with stones and flints. There were no signs of the remains of crabs, lobsters and star fish, dog walkers were warned to be wary of because of their potential toxicity if ingested by dogs. Despite the beach being rough, it was a very pleasant walk on an afternoon which is several degrees, probably about ten centigrade, higher than this time last week. With jackets unzipped and gloves in pockets, we surveyed the cliff slumps as we progressed slowly, allowing Barney plenty of opportunities for stop for a sniff. There are a number of small slumps, mainly grassy areas which have slid down the cliffs, but they are slumps all the same. We can only hope that once the water, from melted snow further inland, has made its way seawards, they remain small.

Four of our orchids are providing a good indoor display of flowers, so today I am sharing some photographs showing their different colours and shapes. Although you won’t be able to smell them, the two odontoglossums and the dendrobium have very delicate and subtle fragrances.